Atop the Lord Beaverbrook Hotel, October 2007
Today I stood with the crowd at the cenotaph which sits majestically between the beautiful Christchurch Cathedral in downtown Fredericton and the Saint John River.
Remembering
Listening
Acknowledging
Trying to feel what it must've been like
How it must've felt.
What is must feel like now
As we stood together in silence,
the trumpet sound still resonating in our collectivity
I looked over at the big willow tree by the side of the river
Its remaining leaves and branches swaying in the brisk November wind.
It seemed to have it's own rhythm, unfettered by the power of the wind.
It made me think differently of the blustery seasonal wind, which often makes us cold and uncomfortable. It can feel overpowering and in charge. However, instead of thinking that it is a nuisance, that it can bite right through you when you havent bundled up for it's onslaught, I began realizing that perhaps the wind is more representative of freedom.
Can you imagine not being able to feel the freedom of the wind?
Can you imagine living a life where we can't have our own rhythm?
I turned my face to the biting wind as I walked away at the end of the service and quietly said thank you to the men and women who have fought for our freedom.
2 comments:
Dana,
Veterans' Day and other national holidays here in the States really get me thinking. As one who is wholly opposed to any form of violence as a part of my personal faith commitment, how do I honor those who engaged in violence to obtain my freedom (or in other instances, to simply continue an ideology)? I do respect those individuals who feel as if they should join the military and serve, but I am torn about how I should support them in view of my commitment to non-violence.
I was just wondering about your thoughts. Oh, and I like the new design :)
Hi Dustin. I really don't know, except that perhaps we have a choice to believe in non violence because others fought for that right. Freedom of speech, thought, justice, the press .....the right to assemble, to protest, to rally for and against are all concepts and freedoms which our veterans fought for on our behalf. And most importantly, we have the freedom to choose our religion because of these men and women. These key points were identified and acknowledged with thanks yesterday at the Remembrance Day service.
ps. you were probably the only one who saw the new design because I had it up for only a few minutes! I find that my photos look better with a dark colour on the screen. I tried to use a fully dark background but the template won't change the words to white, so I lose them. So, I am sticking with this template until someone can teach me how to design a different one.
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